hallowed ground know this. you will never be alone. your loved ones will never be forgotten. >> vice president joe biden attended a memorial in shanksville, pennsylvania, where 40 passengers on board united flight 93 died after fighting back against the hijackers. >> like all of the families, we wish we weren't here. we wish we didn't have to be here. we wish we didn't have to commemorate any of this. it is -- it's a bittersweet moment for the entire nation. >> let's bring in nbc's ron allen, who is at the 9/11 memorial in new york city. ron, i saw one of your live reports earlier on msnbc, and you remarked on how it is open to the public and all of the cameras, there was a more intimate feel to think year's reading of the names and events there. >> reporter: it was indeed, tamron, and i think it was that way by design. the big difference is that

politicians, government officials were not invited to speak at this event as has been the case in the past. they've even participated in the reading of names. a number of reasons for that. one, we're in a very political year, and no one wanted this to the politicized. there's a feeling after the big celebration marking the tenth anniversary last year, that was a turning point for how the nation and families and organizers of these events want this event viewed going forward. it's a turning of an emotional page. the focus here was truly on the families. behind me you can see the memorial. naets also significant because this is the second time that the memorial was the focus of the event here, the commemorative service. there were oak trees lining the plaza. you see the two pools of water with the waterfalls rushing over the sides and the names of those that perished etched in the walls around the pools. there's a lot of progress here at ground zero that you may not

be able to see. we're standing on the 22nd floor of the new world trade center, one of the obvious signs of rebuilding going on here. a number of families said that they felt more comfortable coming here because they saw rebuilding, because they saw things taking shape. of course, it's still a very poignant, unique, emotional experience for everyone that comes here. there were a thousand people here compared to many thousands in years past because things are changing somewhat in how the nation and families grieve, how they remember all this. it's becoming much more private and much less of a public institutionalized event. tamron. >> very interesting perspective and views there today. thank you very much. of course, after the 9/11 attacks america went to war in afghanistan. today there are nearly 90,000 american troops deployed in afghanistan, more than 2,000 have died in what is america's longest war. it this morning the president and the first lady visited arlington national cemetery to

horne those whose lives have been lost. joining me live now is nbc news mill father analyst and retired army colonel jack jacobs. rog roger cressy, let's start off with you before we talk about the troops. there's a cbs and "new york times" poll 54% said the economy and jobs were the most important issues, 37% of voters called terrorism and security extremely important. i would assume that's because we haven't had anything as devastating or close to what we all witnessed 11 years ago. >> i think that's a large part of it. it's also the ending of the war in iraq, and in effect how the war in afghanistan is no longer front page news the way it should be and the way it was in the past. certainly the main reason why terrorism has receded as a priority is basically because of the success the administration had against al qaeda. we see a threat far different

than on 9/11, it's aa far different and weaker threat. most americans while they deal with some of the annoyance of tsa and other security measures put in place since 9/11, i don't think they feel the press of the threat the way they did a number of years ago. >> roger, i imagine there's not one thing you can name, but obviously people wonder. it is the improvement that is we've seen with tsa, some of the other counterterrorism measures in place and even the viewpoint of the cia, the fbi and counterterrorism agencies now working together? i guess the core of my question is, can you say why we have been so fortunate, so blessed, whatever term you choose to describe it for the attack like on 9/11? >> tamron, it's all of the above. the point everyone needs to keep in montt is the u.s. government has learned a lot in the past 11 years and is doing a better job. we went on the offensive and destroyed al qaeda as an organization. there's intent by the remit nannan

remnants of al qaeda and all the other groups. they lack the capability. we have done extremely well against them militarily, politically in terms of the international community and also domestically. the end result makes us safer than 12 years ago. >> let's bring in colonel jack jacobs. we have video out of kabul, afghanistan with the troops there marking the solemn day, they're there, 88,000 swrr around that number. we're not talking a lot about afghanistan, what our role is. we know the president's pledge to have these troops out and we know the roll for our troops in iraq is now over but we have people on the ground there, many thousands. >> we will for a while. i think the withdrawal from afghanistan is going to accelerate after election day and surely after inauguration day. >> you said that for some time. why do you feel so confident? >> it's very easy to avoid politicizing the war, but, in

fact, the war is politicized. we're not going to have a draft and fight the war with as few people as we possibly can. the american public has not been engaged in our fight. i think the decision is going to continue to keep the war away from the political sphere as much as possible. >> how difficult is that? it seems many lawmakers are afraid to delve into this. you talk about the american public not necessarily engaged. it is by many accounts because our lawmakers are afraid to dip a toe in the water. the president has his position and mitt romney is not vocal. many lawmakers both representatives and in the senate and higher up have avoided this war. >> i think you're absolutely right. i think everybody is trying hard not to politicize it, which is why nothing will happen until after the election. though the president has said he wants to remove people beginning

in 2014, there are already rumbling that there's an accelerated withdrawal. i think the american public, it if you asked them, would say, look, we either go in there and fight it to the death or get out. i think getting out is probably the consensus of opinion. >> obviously, if the president is re-elected it would be his last four years. would that give him more confidence to do perhaps things that republicans might certainly try to use as a political hot point or political football, as they like to say, within the beltway with something like this war? >> it's interesting. the president will find it easy to accelerate withdrawal. it's his policy to withdrawal. i think if romney gets elected, it's going to be much more difficult for him to do anything except that, because the american public is satisfied with the fact that the bad guys have not attacked us anymore and they're not coming back, and the faster we get out of southwest asia the happier they're going to be. the american public has been disengaged, and i think they

will remain disengaged. >> roger, talking about disengaged, we do take so many things for grants. as you pointed out, some people complain about taking off shoes. there were seerps concerns about the kind of scanners we would walk through. some felt it was an invasion of their privacy, but there are so many things that we disengage or don't notice are happening. think about new york city, for example. all of these cameras in the middle of times square when we see things happen in that area, an attempted bombing that have kept us safe. >> that's exactly right, tamron. it's not for lack of trying by al qaeda and its sympathizers. there's over a dozen attempts in new york city alone. even though we fortunately have not been attacked, it's not because of lack of effort by the adversary. as we saw with the underwear bomber in 2010, with times square in 2009, there are still attempts being made that were things to break a different way,

they would have been successful. so there's still a long way to go here. >> absolutely, roger. thank you. colonel, always a pleasure as well. these are live pictures from the pentagon where defense secretary leon panetta will speak to employees at the pentagon on this 11th anniversary. in reno we're a few minutes away from governor mitt romney from addressing thousands of national guard officers. it will give him an opportunity on to talk more about the wars in afghanistan. we know his speech at the rnc did not include words about afghanistan. his team has pushed back heavily on that. we'll see what he says differently this time around. another big story we're following today. day two of the teacher strike in chicago. they are meeting and talking a lot, but still no breakthrough. find out where things stand right now. both campaigns have suspended advertising today, but there's still news from the campaign trail. join our conversation and let us

know what you feel on this 9/11, 11 years later. @tamronhall and @newsnation is where you can reach us. most of the pain i experience is neck pain that also becomes headaches. i was very skeptical about aspirin. bayer advanced was completely different. it really did get rid of the pain. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself ♪ [ acou[ barks ]ar: slow ] ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barks ]

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right now we are waiting for governor mitt romney to address the national guard association conference in reno, nevada. we'll bring you his comments. president obama and mitt romney both suspended the presidential campaigns and suspended advertising today. there is news from the campaign trail. it includes a new "washington post"/abc news poll that shows among likely voters the race is deadlocked after the conventions. president obama has a single--point lead over mitt romney. among all registered voters, president obama holds a

six-point lead, 50-44. joining me live now, "washington post" deputy national political editor ann cornbloom. also cnbc contributor as well as keith boykin. let's start off with this poll here. as i mentioned likely voters versus registered voters here. help us make sense of these numbers at least comes out now. >> well, we always draw a distinction when we look at polls between talking to all americans and those who are registered to stroet and those who show a propensity of voting. you you look at voting history and ask how likely they are to vote in this election. that's the distinction here. as you get closer to election day, you go with the likely voters a little more. it's still interesting obama is making gains even among registered voters. that's where the quote-unquote bounce is coming from after the convention. not only that, he's made gains on specific issues.

women a's i women's issue, economic issues although not the economy itself. >> sure. >> he's able to move the needle a little bit on underlying trends that haven't translated for him into a change in the way people say they're going to vote, but at least there are some encouraging trend lines. that's not something mitt romney can can see out of the numbers. >> i hate to interrupt you. let me send our audience to defense secretary leon panetta. let's listen in. >> thank you all for taking the time out of your day to come together and remember that tragic morning of september 11th, 2001. even as we mark 11 years since that horrible day, we know it will be forever engrained in our souls, in our hearts as members

of the pentagon family and as americans. we pay tribute this afternoon to the 184 innocent people who lost their lives here that morning. fathers and mothers, sons and daughte daughters, service members, civilia civilians, they had done nothing, nothing to deserve such a cruel fate. we remember them, and we think of their families. they have suffered through grief and through heart break. we also honor the courageous efforts of the first responders, the rescue workers, and

countless civilian and military pentagon employees whose efforts to save the wounded prevented further loss of life. their actions that day reflect the very spirit of this great country of ours, the spirit of service that drives this department, that drives the united states of america. we remember men and women like the marine major who joined others in rushing to the most heavily damaged areas. they struggled for air amidst thick, black smoke as they pulled the wounded, who were

trapped under mounds of debris. when asked by a reporter for his name -- >> there's a lot going on today. i want to transition the audience, if you will, to reno, nevada where the republican nominee, governor mitt romney is speaking before the national guard conference. let's listen. >> we honor them, and we honor those who secure our safety even to this day. we honor the men and women of the national guard f. for 375 years wherever your countrymen have encounted threat and danger, you have willingly have gone. wherever the cause of freedom has called, you have answered. assist the threats to liberty have emanated from distant lands, you've served far from home and family. the nation has asked much more from you, but you never faltered

and wavered from that mission, from that moto, always ready, always there. i saw the guard in louisiana after it was hit by hurricane isaac. for many people of the gulf who had just finished repairing their homes and getting life back to normal after katrina, the damage from isaac felt like too much to bear. as i toured the flooded streets, i was not surprised to find the guard keeping order, distributing water and supplies and caring for many of those evacuated and rescued. time and again it has been the guardsman's hand that lifted a child from rising water, that rescues a family from a hurricane's fury and fed and clothed a fellow american whose home has been lost to nature's devastation. it's a guardsman who took out saddam hussein's tanks from his a-10 and fought to secure the villages of afghanistan. thank you for that service.

[ applause ] as you know too well, our world is a dangerous place, and the h citizens on september 11th, 2001, reminds us that the mission of the guard is ever more critical and ever more deserving of our support and honor. more than a decade has now passed since that day of tragedy, but the visions and the events are seared in the memory of every american. we remember those who died. we marvel at the courage of those who stormed the cockpit when they became aware of the malevolent purpose of the hijackers. we hold up in prayer the family and friends that have lived in a shadow cast by grief. we draw strength from the selflessness of the first responders, and we renew our

resolve to protect america from the designs of evil men. like you i remember where i was on september 11th. i was originally planning to be in battery park in new york city not far from the world trade sfr itself, but as it turned out, i was in washington, d.c. to meet with members of congress about preparations for the security of the upcoming olympic winter games. a colleague and i were working in the office we had in the ronald reagan building. it was just a few blocks from the white house. someone rushed into our office and said that a plane had hit the world trade center. i turned on the small tv on our desk there and watched in shock as the flames and smoke erupted from the north tower. i called my wife, ann. she, too, watched the tragedy from her tv and wondered how a plane could fly into a building in clear daytilight. then we saw the second plane crash into the second tower. these then were purposeful attacks. these were terrorist attacks.

these were evil and cowardly and heinous attacks. leaving the city i drove towards alexandria. the highway i was on came within a few hundred yards of the pentagon, which had been hit by then. cars were stopped where they were, and people had gotten out watching in horror. i could smell burning fuel and concrete and steel. it was a smell of war, something i never imagined i would smell in america. in our own ways we each were up overwhelmed by the enormity of the loss of life. we struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what this meant of the families of those that had been killed and for our own families, for our nation, for the world. for some there was also anger, but grief and anger soon turned to action, and among those taking the lead were members of the national guard, members of

the guard secured our airports and borders and members of the guard began mobilize to deploy half a world away where you would become all too familiar with the mountains of the hindu kush and streets of fallujah. throughout the last 11 years guardsmen and women have helped keep us safe from attack, and the nation owes you a great debt of gratitude. i wish i could say the world is less dangerous now and less chaotic. i wish i could predict with certainty the threats we'll face in the years ahead. on september 10th, 2001, we had no idea that america would be at war in afghanistan someday. in december of 2010 we had no idea that a tunisian street vendor would inspire a revolution that would topple three dictators. we live in a time of turbulence and disruption. what i can say with certainty is

that we need the national guard's vigilance and strength now as much as ever before. with less than two months to go before election day, i would normally speak to a gathering like this about the differences between my and my opponent's plans for military and for our national security. there is a time and place for that, but this day is not that. it is instead a day to express gratitude to the men and women who fought and who are still fighting to protect us and our country, including those who trace the trail of terror to that walled compound and the s.e.a.l.s that delivered justice to osama bin laden. [ applause ]

this is also a day in which all of us in this convention hall and in this campaign and in this country can hopefully agree on important things. this century must be an american century. it began with terror, war and economic calamity. it is now our duty to steer it onto the path of freedom, peace, and prosperity. america must lead the free world, and the free world must lead the entire world in our dealings -- [ applause ] in the dealings we have with other nations, we must demonstrate confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose, and resolve in the application of our military might.

for this to be an american century, we must have a military that is second to youzhnone, th so strong no one would ever think of testing it. [ applause ] american military power is vital to the preservation of our own security and for the preservation of peace around the world. time and again america's military has been the best ally of liberty and peace. american forces rescued europe twice. american forces stood up to brutal dictators and freed millions living under tyranny. america peace military leads the fight against terrorism around the world and secures the global commons to keep them safe for the trade and commerce vital to lifting people from poverty. while the war is iraq is over, nearly 70,000 american troops will still remain in afghanistan

at the end of the month. our goal should be to complete a successful transition to afghan security forces by the end of 2014. we should evaluate conditions on the solicit the best advice of our commanders. can agree that they deserve a clear mission and resolute resources they need to complete that mission and they deserve a country that will provide for their needs when they come home. [ applause ] of course, the return of our troops cannot and must not be used as an excuse to hollow out our military through devastating defense budget cuts. it is true that our armed forces

have been stretched to the brink, and that's all the more reason to repair and rebuild. we can always find places to end waste, but we can't cancel program after program. we cannot jeopardize critical missions and cut corners in the quality of the equipment and training we provide to our men and women in uniform. >> this is a speech given by governor mitt romney in reno, nevada. both campaigns said that they would suspend activities today. negative advertising would be pulled down as well. but it's worth noting here that in this speech governor romney talked about defense cuts, questioning hollow leadership in the wars as well as bringing home troops with hollow promises. let met bring in democratic

strategist keith boykin here. governor mitt romney went into this speech before the national guard heavily criticized for not talking more about afghanistan when he had millions of eyes and ears on him at the rnc. he says that the day before he gave his speech before the american legion. we've got copies of those speeches and it included two sentences about the war in afghanistan. you're a democratic strategist, i don't want to be accused of softballing this to you. this speech questioned leadership and referred to the predz as my opponent and given no sense of bipartisan spirit whatsoever on this day that hearts have been broken and what happened to this country, keith. >> i think you're right. i'm watching the speech here, too. it's somewhat of a disrespectful speech. i mean, he doesn't acknowledge president obama at any point in the speech so far. maybe he will in subsequent remarks, but he hasn't even mentioned him by name. i think that's a bit

disrespectful. even when you mention the osama bin laden raid, yes it was a navy s.e.a.l. team that executed that raid, but president obama ordered that raid. it's almost as if he's trying to politicize by not mentioning his name, and that's disturbing. considering the record where he goes to the rnc and doesn't mention afghanistan and iraq as well in the most important speech of his campaign, and this is a guy who comes in, again, with virtually no foreign policy experience and a running mate with no foreign policy experience. that makes them probably the most unexperienced or untested two running mates to come into presidential politics in modern history. i can't think of a president -- where you have a presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate, neither of whom have national foreign policy experience. i think it's a mistake on his part not to use this opportunity to acknowledge the president to try to depot lit size this

issue. when he made the speech in the republican convention in tampa that was a mistake to omit any reference to iraq or afghanistan. >> let me bring in mark murray here. you're one of the best in the business. you look at this through all prisms. they weren't supposed to campaign today. they were supposed to take the day off, the negative advertising pulled down. you've been listening to this speech from governor romney now. you had a headline throwing the kitchen sink. what was the thought process with this speech here? there are a number of things certainly that are political or perhaps peen politicizing this day that governor romney has said, and that is an interesting tactic, mark. >> given all of the speeches, all of the backs and forths over the past year, tamron, i was struck how apolitical this speech was as compared to others. maybe he didn't mention president obama in ordering the raid on osama bin laden, but i

think he could have made a much bigger political attack had he wanted it to and he pretty much stayed away from politics and gave a respectful speech. >> do you think so with questioning leadership, for example? questioning the direction of leadership for our men and women on the ground in these wars? when you start to bring in leadership and you're in a campaign, how is that apolitical, mark? >> tamron, i'm just comparing it to past speeches. >> given the context of today being 9/11, given the context of the information that we received from both campaigns, given the context of what this day is about, i'm not certainly being critical of any analysis that you're offering up. i'm saying given the context of today. >> well, in the context of today where it's supposed to be apolitical, you could make the argument implicit criticisms shouldn't be allowed. just compared to everything else he has said. of course, remember, he's trying to say i'll be a better leader than president obama. him actually praising obama too

much and while it would give him a lot of credit in some play places, he's trying to make the argument he would do a better job. >> and absolutely point well-taken here, but i'm again scrolling down on his speech. he refers to a century for america, and we've heard those things before. how much of this speech do you know or perhaps insight that you could provide is a kind of makeup or trying to make over the omission of the war in afghanistan when as he pointed out millions of eyes and ears were on him, and he barely mentioned the people who are fighting for this country. >> tamron, it's my understanding that mitt romney was always going to have an event tied to 9/11. he was addressing the national guard association, and it did provide him an opportunity to thank them, as he did countless times for their service. it was an omission in his speech and a way for him without completely acknowledging it to

walk back what he was unable to do in that convention speech and really recognize all the troops who are serving in harm's way. you're right. he did get a lot of criticism for not mentioning the word afghanistan once. when you actually look at the totality of today's speech, that was something he did and thanked everyone who served in the national guard and continues to serve there. >> what about the strategy of bringing up the $500 billion in cuts that were part of this sequestration deal reached by both sides, the man he would like to see as vp paul ryan signed off as well. he now says he wouldn't. he's bringing up defense cuts on this day that all of these things were not supposed to be forgotten but not in the headline. >> it's part of his standard stump speech and how he tries to differentiate himself and actually outhawk president obama on national security. you can make the argument should

this have been a different day where he didn't bring it up, but it is part of his standard stump speech. you do see the logic when he tries to hit president obama on this sequestration. he's trying to outhawk president obama. >> part of his usual stump speech on this day. we'll be right back. thank you. bayer advanced was completely different. it really did get rid of the pain. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com. thor's couture gets the most rewards of any small business credit card. your boa! [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day! ahh, the new fabrics, put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? the spiked heels are working. wait! [ garth ] great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? [ cheers and applause ]

i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick...and then i got better. welcome back. an agreement has been reached to complete the september 11th museum in ground zero. it was intended to open this month, but a dispute over funding halted construction last year. at the memorial family members of those who died gathered as a reminder out of tragedy certainly emerges tales and stoers of heroism and resilience. ronald fazio was working at the south tower. he helled co-workers hold the doors as they left the pblg. his son used his father's story as inspiration founding the organization hold the door for others which help them get

through the adversity of loss. just reading the name of the organization, hold the door for others just gives you chills, but it also enables you to smile. you know your father was doing that that day 11 years ago. >> yeah. we're one of those families that are really fortunate that we know my dad's story. when you talk about what he did that day and leading others, just it's a great way that inspires people to live their lives that way. >> how can you learn what he did that day? >> a lot of his co-workers. he was very close with the people he worked with. they all wanted to find him, and they called the house and said, where's your dad? he was holding the door. we can't find him. we didn't find him, but he found an inspiration. >> absolutely. this pain never goes away. when people says waiting for the door to close or these analogies, looking for closure, you never get closure when you lose someone you love. how did you find a way to start this organization? >> you know, he really didn't

give us a choice. a story like that, you know, people are going to want to talk about it and it just -- the second that we knew we lost him, which was about three weeks out because i'm stubborn and didn't want to give up looking for him and neither did our family. we wanted to have something that made his legacy loud, and i think we've all done that together. >> absolutely. what was your thought when you saw the memorial and how far it's come. i've lived in new york for five years. you witnessed that time where everyone thought this would be a hole forever. there will be nothing here and we'll be caught up in rangling over dollars and now you see the tower and fountain and we saw an image of a kid kiss the name of a loved one insubscricribed on wall. >> it's wonderful. it creates memories that create movements. we talk about how in the first

few years you walk down in the pit and you felt it in the pit of your stomach. now you look up at this beautiful towers and see more doors being built. >> we were there last year live from the site. ron allen, my colleague was there today. he talked about the intimate see of today's remembrance. it's a different feel. you know it is about the families. >> it is. that's one thing that new york and america has gotten right today, is it's about connecting with one another that raw emotion of that day, of being relived today. you know, whenever there's a moment of silence for those bells, everyone stops, has a memory, and then they move forward and that's great respect for remembering our loved ones. >> absolutely. you've shed great respect on the wonderful life your father lived and obviously the great impression he made on you and his family members. you're a lucky son. >> thank you for having me. we hope people come out october

20th for hold the door today. they are adding lists to tix zons at the 9/11. congress did not include cancer of covered illnesses because there are questions over whether toxic dust caused cancer. an advisory panel says it is plausible first responders and those exposted to the dust might get cancer. it will go into effect in 30 days. there could be serious affects of $500 billion in defense budget cuts mandated by congress just before election day. politico reports major defense contractors will send tends of thousands layoff warnings among those confirming the warnings, lockheed martin, the world's biggest defense contractor by the way. joining me is philip ewing. thank you for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> let's talk about this warning. is this gamesmanship? is this a true threat that people could be without a job,

and we certainly know that is not needed in this country rights befo right before the election? >> i think it's a little of all of the above. there's a big standoff in washington today over this skwauld sequester happening on november of next year. it's the defense industry and pentagon and defense advocates said it will be a disaster if it takes effect, because as many as 2 million people could lose their jobs. the defense industry is trying to jump start the congressional process by threatening to send out these layoff notices. they're banking that lawmakers don't want them to go out so soon before the election that they can take action before then to stop it from happening. >> what's been the response on both sides of the aisle regarding this threat? >> well, republicans and democrats have been blaming each other for the standoff for months now. despite this threat of escalation by the defense industry, if there's no action between now and the election, not a lot of people in washington expect it to be resolved before the election. this is something that congress

most likely will have to resolve when it comes back from the so-called lame duck session between the election and the end of the year and the next congress. or even onto the next congress in 2013. so there's a lot of heated rhetoric. there's a lot of strong words being exchanged, but not very many expect a lot of action in the near term here. >> let me ask you, though. these automatic cuts is not new. we knew this was imminent, it was supposed to be anyway. why now are we hearing about the defense contractors saying they might cut these jobs? >> because there's a limited window of time when congress is in session this month and briefly into october before they leave again to campaign once more before the election day. there's a limited amount of time for them to act before the election, which is what the defense industry and a lot of defense advocates want. the idea is to turn up the heat as much as possible to get a deal as soon as possible. >> philip, thank you very much. we greatly appreciate you and your report. we'll be talking more about this. thank you.

coming up, we'll get a live report from chicago where 25,000 teachers are on strike for day two. the latest on where negotiations stand in that labor dispute, but first, members of both the house and senate gathered on the front steps of the capitol today to honor victims of the 9/11 attack. members of both parties stood shoulder to shoulder as they recall how a nation came together during a time of national tragedy. [ male announcer ] at scottrade, we believe the more you know, the better you trade. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our teams have the information you want when you need it. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade.

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welcome back of the more than 25,000 chicago teachers on strike since monday are preparing to rally in mass outside the city's board of education. both the city and union reps remain deadlocked after four hours of talks. that's adjujust today without t union budging until they reconsider positions on performance evaluations and layoffs. hundreds of thousands of

students and parents being hurt by the walk off. >> it's hard right now. it can't find a baby-sitter. >> it's not the best thing, because you can't learn very much things when you have to miss the subjects. >> i feel like they're being used as pawns. this is not helping the children at all. >> let me bring in kevin tibbles. he's live for us in chicago with the very latest. we're still walking. >> the only good news out of this, tamron, is that they continue to talk every single day. every single day we are hearing reports that they're getting closer and closer across the bargaining table. obviously they are not close enough to get the teachers back in the classrooms and to get those some 400,000 students back in the schools. we heard from the school board side today that they were so close that they were probably going to be able or should have been able to wrap this up today. a short time after that statement was made, the spokes

woman, person for the teachers union came outside and said that there was still a great length apart and that they had no interest in settling this strike until the big issues that the teachers are concerned about are addressed. of course, that's the one you just mentioned, which is the teacher evaluations and the performance. it's based on performance of the kids. it's into its second day now. yesterday i noted, you know, there was another big rally yesterday in front of the schools, and it almost had a sort of festive sort of atmosphere. all the teachers in their red shirts and kids watching and this sort of thing. i'm not making a lot of it, but it was a festive atmosphere. i wonder how long that is going to last. we're having this other big rally today. i wonder how it's going to seem in three, four, five days, a week when parents start to realize their kids aren't going to the museum today.

that they are out on strike, and they may not be going back for some time. >> all right. kevin tibbles live for us in chicago. thank you, kevin. up next, new comments from defense secretary leon panetta who is suggested retired navy s.e.a.l. who wrote that book on the bin laden raid should be punished. haters best get to bloggin' ♪ in it ♪ so hot right now d esigthneatr ♪ our ♪ sunglasses be foggin' ♪ this crowd is classic ♪ so we play 'em like rachmaninoff ♪ ♪ just hooked 'em up with score alerts ♪ ♪now we're about to set it off ♪set it off like a score alert ♪ beep beep what? ♪if you set your phone to vibrate ♪ ♪ then it might alert your button flies all the ♪ ♪ girls and the guys wanna keep that credit score ♪ ♪ high like a private jet free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ don't forget narrator: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com

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join the "news nation" on our twitter page. before we go there's a couple of things floating out there today. defense secretary leon panetta is suggesting the retired navy s.e.a.l. that wloet a book about the raid that killed osama bin laden should be punished. he said publishing such information sends a dangerous message. >> i cannot as secretary send a signal to s.e.a.l.s who conduct those operations, oh, you can conduct these operations and then go out and write a book about it or sell your story to

the "new york times." how the hell can we run sensitive operations here that go after enemies if people are allowed to do that? the owner of the florida pizza ya who bear hugged president obama said people are boycotting his business. he says he doesn't understand the negative response to his public display of affection toward the president. he says every republican and democrat are welcome at his shop. with missouri's dropout deadline two weeks away, republican congressman todd akin is not quitting his senate bid. he's been under fire for his remarks he made last month when he referred to, quote, legitimate rain. akin said he got widespread support to stay in. a couple of political headlines we thought you should know today. the most important thing of this day is to remember those that loss their lives in the attacks on it this country. we leave you with an image to what was referred to as ground zero. we see this beautiful tower that's emerged from the ground. thank you for joining us.

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welcome to "the cycle," 11 years ago the nation changed forever when it was attacked by islamic terrorists and nearly 3,000 were killed. for many of us that survived that day here or in washington, d.c., it's a painful one as we sort through the memories still so vivid and impossible to forget. there is a before and after. like you i'm sure i cannot forget at that day nor forget the brave men and women